Media

Facebook Movie: Michael Cera and Shia LaBeouf Sought to Star?

Casting searches are already underway for the upcoming Facebook movie, "The Social Network" (a working title), says one report.

Today CNet News fleshes out the details, claiming more insights into the potential cast...in particular, the question of who will play Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg:

An entertainment industry source tells CNET News that early casting searches are under way and that the list of young actors being eyeballed to play Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg includes both Michael Cera ("Superbad," "Arrested Development") and Shia LaBeouf ("Transformers"). They aren't the only ones, and it's not clear whether either of those two in-demand actors would want to take a turn away from comedies (Cera) or action movies (LaBeouf) to play Zuckerberg.

Cera is, according to the source, a top choice because audiences find him particularly likable. Rumors about the plot of the book "Accidental Billionaires" hint that Zuckerberg is going to be portrayed rather unfavorably—basically, as an obnoxious nerd—and obnoxious nerds are not the world's biggest box-office sell. Cera could make the part a little bit more sympathetic.

The tale is almost too good to be true: CNet already joked that Cera would fit the role, his likeable dorkiness making him the oh-so-obvious choice. As we mentioned yesterday, David Fincher, director of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Fight Club, is being sought to direct the film. The script, meanwhile, is by Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men, The American President, Malice, Charlie Wilson’s War).

What we do know for sure, and from multiple sources over the past year, is that Facebook is displeased about the film and staff are unwilling to talk about it: the book it's based on, Ben Mezrich's "The Accidental Billionaires", is not favorable to Mark Zuckerberg. And indeed leaked passages from the book seem to spice up the story to make it more captivating: were it truthful, of course, it may be a bit of a snoozer.

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